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GTA commuter crawl gets slower

A new study shows that fuming drivers on congested highways are stuck in a never-ending rush hour.

By Tess Kalinowskitransportation reporter

Thu., Jan. 7, 2010

Ever thought it would be faster to run to work than drive? New data suggests you might not be that far off the mark.

The Toronto region is brewing a nasty stew of congestion in which rush hour never ends and gridlock spreads far beyond the traditional downtown-suburban routes, according to the latest instalment of the Travel Time Study from the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

The study shows that, in 2008, the time needed to traverse one stretch of Highway 401 had nearly doubled since 2006.

Traffic experts say commuters are travelling longer distances and their pain is being spread in more directions as the traditional downtown commute gives way to diverse, cross-regional employment.

Researchers studied 462 segments of 400-series highways. On 151 of those, the mean speed had deteriorated.

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On the region's 10 busiest stretches of highway, highlighted on the map at left, mean speeds at peak periods ranged from 31 to 52 km/h, down from 40 to 95 km/h just two years earlier. And afternoon-rush commutes lasted slightly longer.

The effect is even more pronounced over a longer period. The study – which includes Toronto and the regions of Peel, York and Durham, and has been updated every two years since 2002 – found that a typical trip in 2008 could be expected to take 13 to 24 per cent longer than in 2002.

The slowest stretch? Pity those who must crawl each morning along the southbound 404 between 16th Ave. and Highway 401, where the mean speed was only 31 km/h, down from 44 km/h in 2006.

The most dramatic change was in the eastbound collector lanes of Highway 401 between Mississauga and Dixie Rds., where cars puttered along at just 50 km/h in 2008, down from a breezy 95 km/h in 2006.

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